Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 126547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
A tear rolled down Adam’s cheek, and he dove deeper into the thick comforter, as if it could protect him from whatever infernal presence he was talking about. If this were just about the sudden change in Adam’s behavior, Emil would have assumed it to be a mental breakdown, but no sane explanation could account for his burns. So he listened.
“I was distraught. I blessed the parsonage and went to the church. To pray. And that’s when it came. You’ll think I’m crazy—”
Emil scooted down, painfully aware of just how insane all this was. “No, you can tell me. Was he the one who hurt your back?”
Adam’s mouth shut, and the vulnerable expression passing through his face had Emil’s stomach in cramps. “No, he… he spoke to me. I thought I heard God’s voice, but he entered my body, right there, in the church. Where I should have been safe. Where everyone should be safe from demons. And then he took me to you.”
Emil exhaled, but since he couldn’t see anything sinister creeping at the edges of his bedroom, the ache in his flesh came to the forefront, insistent in its punishing bite. “Okay, Adam, we’ll deal with this, but it really fucking burns right now.”
It was as if something clicked in Adam’s head and he got to his knees, touching Emil’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. Did I… was it me?” he asked and got closer to peek over Emil’s arm. Despite the pain radiating off the scalded flesh, Emil’s gaze briefly passed over the handsome line of Adam’s chest, but when Adam flinched, Emil followed his gaze to the shadowy corner of the room.
“You see something there?” he asked, pulling Adam closer, weirdly protective of him after the sex. Adam had opened himself up to touch, to affection, and Emil wouldn’t give him the cold shoulder. Whatever this was, they would deal with it together.
Adam’s breath caught, and he met Emil’s gaze. “Yes. Let’s go to the kitchen,” he whispered, tracing the edge of the burn with his fingertip. He was still tense, but Emil’s vulnerability seemed to have given him purpose beyond fearing for his life and sanity.
Emil hated having to admit he was in pain, but he’d do anything to keep Adam occupied. A sinking feeling in his chest deepened whenever he thought of just letting Adam leave. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew that if he now let Adam walk out, the forest would reach out and swallow him whole.
“What did you see there?” Emil led the way with a candle in hand, trying to ignore tremors of pain each time he moved and stretched the injured skin.
Adam exhaled, keeping himself close, as if he wanted to make sure he could grab Emil for safety if the monster only he could see left its shadowy corner. “It has red eyes. Like the serpent in the church,” he whispered, opening the bedroom door and grabbing Emil’s wrist to lead him into the hallway. His face was pale, as if he’d been sick for a long time, and Emil already missed his earlier flush. He clearly tried to keep his gaze on the way ahead, hunched over, as if he expected an attack. Could this even be possible? That they were dealing with a poltergeist? Some unnatural force? With… magic?
Emil couldn’t reach most of his injuries and needed help, but he also wanted to occupy Adam’s hands, and as soon as they reached the kitchen sink, he handed him a clean sponge.
“Sit. Sit down,” Adam told him, his naked body moving like a robot whose joints hadn’t been oiled, his gait stiff and speaking of discomfort. He wouldn’t look at Emil as he picked up a metal bowl from the shelf and filled it with cold water.
“We… maybe we should go to the church and see if there’s any signs of… paranormal activity.” Emil was making an effort to make sense of it all, because showing that he was freaked the fuck out wouldn’t help anyone.
“Not in the next twenty minutes,” Adam said, searching through the cupboards until he found stacks of clean tea towels. He soaked two in a bowl and placed them over Emil’s back. Their cool touch provided instant relief to Emil’s burnt flesh.
It was so rare that someone took care of Emil that his toes curled with the simple pleasure of someone offering him help. He gave Adam a sheepish glance, and the sight of his naked body was all the painkillers Emil needed. "Did he hurt you in any way?"
Adam squeezed on the edge of the table top, and he averted his gaze before approaching a wall-mounted hook where Emil had hung his bathing towel earlier. Adam tied it around his hips, and looked up. But as soon as their gazes met, he crossed his arms and shrugged.